Comments on: In which I disagree with Meg Cabot

By: Justine

Justine — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 21:14:43 +0000

Sherry: Cabot was speaking for herself. I rent and do not have a mortgage. In fact, that is true of pretty much every writer I know in NYC. Almost none of them own property.

By: sherry

sherry — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 16:24:09 +0000

I am glad to hear that popular writers can pay their mortgage with their writing earnings. It’s difficult for the rest of us to imagine. If we were motivated by money, we’d find another occupation I think. Though finding that motivation lowly implies that you have no worries about paying your mortgage.

I don’t really find food motivating. But I do have four kids, so my writing time is my chance to escape. And that must be my motivation.

By: Kate McCaffrey

Kate McCaffrey — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:36:55 +0000

Motivation, inspiration, perspiration… what about finishing a novel just to shut up those damn voices in your head? The ones that nag you when you’re cooking, or driving- or heaven forbid, actually trying to ‘work’ at another task. When the latest character, suddenly reveals to you- as you are trying to squish into size 9 jeans at Myer- that the reason she is motivated to do… whatever… is because… and you have nothing to jot that down on but the label of the overpriced jeans that make your thighs look fat anyway?
What about the need to just finish the puzzle- especially when the beginning- and the end, revealed themselves to you so freely- but that bloody middle bit decided to elude you for so long?
What about the satisfaction of not only creating people (I’d already experienced that one as a mother), but being the entire master of their domain- and then being horrified to learn that they are actually writing the story not you (same thing as being a mother- I guess). I love it when that happens! When a character finally confesses everything- so you understand.
After all- characters are people too.

By: Chanel

Chanel — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:41:32 +0000

I have gotten some laughs from this, but am yet to be motivated…
Maybe I’ll just wake up early?

By: Serafina Zane

Serafina Zane — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:16:34 +0000

The evil influence of Chex Mix provoked me to decide to try writing a novel in two months, but no chocolate.

By: Lynne Jonell

Lynne Jonell — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:37:01 +0000

Pain inspires me to complete a novel. Eventually, the pain of not-writing exceeds the pain of writing, aaaaaand we’re off!

And, since the subject of chocolate is verboten (censorship rears its ugly head here, too, I see), I’ll add that strong coffee is one of my major sources of inspiration. As in road sludge. The best is coffee that I forgot about the night before, and it has been merrily reheating all night long. There’s a sort of bitter enthusiasm that comes after a cup or two, that works very well indeed.

By: caitlin

caitlin — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:37:09 +0000

I just read Laurie Halse Anderson’s upcoming book Chains, and I don’t think she’ll be milking cows anytime soon.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:35:51 +0000

I think crapping on chocolate is a little eccentric… Here in the US, we just crap on toilets.

I suspect what people mean to ask is “Meg, can I have your money?”

By: claire

claire — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:24:39 +0000

actually, i suspect that people who ask about writers’ inspiration are NOT talking about their motivation. such people aren’t aware that writing is a long, hard slog, or that writers are people who require motivation.

i think what they mean to ask is “how did you come up with such great ideas?”

By: Laurie Halse Anderson

Laurie Halse Anderson — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:19:00 +0000

For me, popcorn takes the place of chocolate. I concur about wanting to get the damn thing over with and needing to pay the bills.

And I have a fourth inspiration.

4. Fear that if I don’t finish the book, I will be forced to get a real job.

I am only qualified to milk cows and shovel manure. It’s nice to have something to fall back on, but I’d rather write books.

By: Julia

Julia — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:48:34 +0000

I completely agree, chocolate isn’t even that great.

By: Jana Stocks

Jana Stocks — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:37:33 +0000

Heh…my last novel was a combination of an agent who was badgering me and a husband who sat across the room and glared at me if I got out of my chair for anything besides potty breaks and food, and the later he’d bring to me. He wanted to know how it ended. Heh.

By: Haddy-la

Haddy-la — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:33:47 +0000

your are a deprived imigrant (well i dont know, i dont like that word but its all i could thing of) to the US and your american husband obiously deprived you of cheetos i really think you should go get some now YUM but you have to get puffs and… er not puffs because they are differnt my favorite type changes with my mood

By: AliceB

AliceB — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:15:15 +0000

I stay clear of chocolates, unless I want a gigantic, crushing migraine. What does keep me motivated is that, if I don’t finish, then everyone will know that I’m just a fraud. (Right now, they’re just guessing.)

By: AndrewN

AndrewN — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:38:59 +0000

I know, but you didn’t retract the challenge …

By: AndrewN

AndrewN — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:37:08 +0000

you will not find a single sentence where I express anything but sadness at having to part company with one of my beloved books:

“It’s my first non-Magic or Madness novel. I will confess that by book three I was bored out of my gourd with Reason and Tom and Jay-Tee.1 It was a huge pleasure to write something completely different.”

You owe me a bag of Cheetos

By: Celia

Celia — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:30:18 +0000

So, Cheetos are right out because they too start with ch, but you’re okay with cheques? I find this suspicious. Are you sure you’re not just saying things for shock value there?

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:27:16 +0000

I make no judgments on your hatred of chocolate, because I hate coffee and probably get as much crap for that as you do for chocolate.

To actually answer the question: NaNo’s deadline. I won’t follow my own set deadlines, but if someone else does it, I will.

By: Kelly McCullough

Kelly McCullough — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:21:34 +0000

What about simply loving the whole writing process? Come on, I get to play make believe all day long and people _pay_ me for it. How incredibly cool is that? My biggest motivator to finish a book is that doing it is enormous fun. And, yes the other writers in my group do occasionally threaten to strangle me when I say things like this.

By: Cat

Cat — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:45:30 +0000

I concur with the deadline as my best motivator and slogging through the middle as the hardest part. Chocolate and cheetos are not rewards…I’d never get to eat any.

By: Diana Peterfreund

Diana Peterfreund — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:40:37 +0000

The things that motivate me to write all, ironically, start with CH:
1. Champagne
2. Cheese (especially if melted and combined with some sort of carb and tomato sauce)
3. Checks

By: Bill

Bill — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:44:04 +0000

The only thing that’s helped me finish a book is making it a daily habit during the middle 80%.

Starting a book is all magic and romance, then doubt and ennui and other “better” ideas start to conspire against me. I have about a dozen seven-chapter novel beginnings mouldering away on various hard drives.

Finishing a book is also easy, because the finish line is close enough to be a real motivator. I know one day soon I will walk out of the den, hands raised high and declare victory.

But in the middle I need to program myself to keep slogging. Sitting down to start the day’s writing is the hardest part by far and if I allow myself to CHOOSE whether or not to write today, I almost always choose no.

The common wisdom is to keep your options open to be happy, but that leaves me vulnerable to the siren songs of the Internet, ice cream and daytime television. I end up wasting my life on lame, superficial crushes instead of dedicating it to the true loves of my life, the things that will leave this world better than I found it: my family and my writing.

I get up at 5:45 AM every day to write, not because I want to (I never want to, taking choice out of the equation) but because that’s how the work gets done.

By: The Scarlet Tree

The Scarlet Tree — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:15:53 +0000

I think any snacky food stuffs serve only to delay, and fuel nothing but procrastination and crumbs in the keyboard. I know because there are crumbs in my keyboard. I’m not really sure what my primary motivation is, I suppose I would like to one day hold a shiny new book with my name on the cover

By: David Moles

David Moles — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:26:37 +0000

Do not listen to these people. Cheetos are biodegradable packing peanuts coated in MSG and FD&C yellow #6. They are not a food product.

By: Arthur D. Hlavaty

Arthur D. Hlavaty — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:53:35 +0000

Robert Silverberg doesn’t like chocolate either.